Ancient Roman shipwrecks discovered near Naxos

The area, a reef near Naxos Island has long been known to the locals as being infested with ancient relics, mainly anchors and amphoras.

Now, an archaeological expedition, led by Sven Ahrens, from the Norwegian Maritime Museum and Ekaterini Tagonidou, from the Greek Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, revealed what the locals knew for ages..

That the reef is one of the richest maritime archaeology sites in the Cyclades and as the two researchers explained to israeli newspaper Haaretz, "those remains suggest the reef could be a rich site for learning more about sea trade in the Classical world".

The expedition discovered at least eight ancient Roman shipwrecks, a discovery that will allow scholars to understand more about sea trade in the Classical world and the role of Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades islands (and one of the most popular tourist destinations), as a significant stop-over and a business and trade hub of the ancient world.

The findings are dated from various eras of the Roman Empire, which spanned from 100 B.C.to A.D. 300, and diving teams are planning to fully explore the 98-feet deep area within 2018.